Mikell Chapel
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Proper14A
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Gospel Matthew 14:22-33
Sibling rivalry, parents having favorite children and deceit are a part of this familiar story of Joseph and his brothers. The mood of Joseph’s brother’s is understandable. That is, they were envious of Joseph and envious of the relationship Joseph had with their father, Jacob.
This attitude toward Jacob had consumed the brothers. They wanted Joseph dead. They wanted him dead because he was the favorite child. Their father, Jacob, had given only one coat, a coat of many colors to his favorite son, Joseph. Joseph’s brothers decided to get rid of him.
Ruben, one of the brothers convinced all of the other brothers to put Joseph in a pit that had dried up, but not kill him. Ruben in the midst of his anger, had compassion. His plan, perhaps, was to come back and rescue him from the bottom of the pit. Joseph was found in the pit by a band of Ishamaelites. These Ishmaelites bought Joseph from his own brothers for twenty pieces of silver.
They later told Jacob that his son, Joseph, had been killed by a beast. They produced the coat of many colors with blood on it. The blood had come from a sheep that had been slaughtered. Jacob’s father in his grief believed that it was his son’s Joseph’s blood.
While Joseph was enslaved he learned how to survive. These tools of survival enabled him to stay alive.
Joseph could have easily given in to despair and become a despondent spirit. After all, He was in line to occupy the chief position in the family. Instead he was torn from those that he loved. He was betrayed by those whom he knew as family. He was reduced to shame and indifference.
Yet, Joseph did not yield to resentment or self-pity.
Today, it is unfortunate, but true — family members are estranged, in some instances, from one another.
The estrangement becomes a part of the family identity. This division is either by choice or is forced. This alienation occurs when the loved one such as Joseph is removed from the embrace of the family. The family does not want to claim the member that they can no longer tolerate. For wide-ranging reasons family becomes aloof from one another. This happens especially when there is no tolerance for forgiveness, or when one family member is not willing to pardon another.
Joseph decides to make the best of an alienated situation.
In everything that he does and is a part of, Joseph employs courage and faithfulness. Courage and faithfulness enable Joseph to understand that God is able to utilize his humbleness.
“Joseph’s life was spared. Even though he was sold into slavery for twenty pieces of silver, he did not lose his life. This event would ultimately set the stage for saving the lives of his entire family, thus preserving the lord’s promises to Abraham. (Genesis 17:1-8).” (Supplement to Synthesis)”.
Why does courage matter in living today? John McCain in his book Why Courage Matters states, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity for action despite our fears.” Courage is not always certain and is not always comprehensible. But it seems very clear that if one has courage and faith such as Joseph, the day to day living will become a tool of measurement filled with anticipation and wonder. Not wonder in the sense of being naively hopeful, but filled with the power of expectation. This expectation of life abundant is fulfilled when the promises of God are kept. When one trusts” in the midst of circumstances and leans not to only their intelligence, God’s promises are recognized as being fulfilled.
Earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, Peter was asked by Jesus, “Who do you say, that I am.” And Peter said, “The Messiah”. There was an immediate expectation that Peter and the other disciples had. The expectation was to be close to the one who had performed Miracles. The expectation was to learn even more about their relationship with the one true God. Their expectation was to always be fed as the five thousand were fed, besides the women and children. Their expectation was to be loved always and their expectation was to have faith in God. This faith would bring about a peace and an understanding that is like no other.
Like Peter and like Joseph, how many times within a year are we called upon to trust in God? Peter was told, “Take heart it is I. Do not be afraid.”
When we make decisions in daily living and when we move toward accomplishing one goal after another, it is strongly suggested in our gospel that we can move with courage and without anxiety. How? By knowing that as we move forward through unchartered waters the foundation of God’s love and protection is there for us.
Step out of the boat and come to me, he says. Is there a risk that you may go down in the water?
Perhaps, but ,if your focus is on me, Peter and not on what you may lose, it will not matter as to how deep the water is. ... if you keep your prayer life alive and your interest in satisfying me as a priority; you will be out of the deepest part of the water and back on what you consider to be solid ground sooner than you ever anticipated.
The message of this gospel is not that we will be able to do as Peter did and attempt to walk on water.
The message of our lesson from Genesis is not that we are to trust blindly and not have courage.
The gift that we are to walk away with today is the gift of knowing that in the face of all of the evidence that God is with us in the boat. God is with us in the midst of our circumstances.
The message is the same as it was for Joseph. When we have been disappointed by a family member or our best friend, we can move forward with courage. The anxiety can be lessened because the protection of God is present. The love of God never ceases.
It is through this love that is freely given in communities of faith and in places of trust that families are restored to each other and trust becomes the cornerstone of ones life.
Joseph trusted and eventually saved his family as promised to Abraham. We as followers of Christ today have courage which erases anxiety; Courage to not doubt in the midst of circumstances. Courage to continue to be a believer in the presence of one who knows ,one who sees and one who understands.
If we rely on that one true God, we can share with the experiences of others and say, we came through this because we trusted in the Miracles of God. Jesus, the Christ.
Our friend, our Redeemer. Our Savior and our protector.
Our utterances and awareness will give ownership to these experiences expressed:
Only the one true God brought us through. Only the one true God has restored us. Only the love of God is allowing us to prevail.
Daily the claim can be made, “Truly you are the son of God.”
“Take heart, do not be afraid”.
Amen.
Comments? Contact The Rev. Carolynne Williams: cwilliams@stphilipscathedral.org